Race: Talk to Me
In the film Talk to Me there was little direct coverage of a white audience for soul music. The only prominent white figures were the record executives who seemed to identify with the black community to an extent. There were also white protesters in the earlier scenes, supporting Petey Green’s bid for a job at the station. There was also no discussion of white artists appropriating black style.
What was apparent was the commercialization of music “packaged as racial fetish” (Back 129). Part of Petey and the Night Hawk’s appeal was their stereotypical compliance. They wore the clothes, had the voice and speech patterns and so succeeded in their field. The listeners could tell that they were black and that was part of the appeal. ‘Sunshine’ was too eloquent and soft to stay in his situation, listeners wanted edgier djs and that is what they got. It wasn’t until Dewey shed his ‘white’ exterior and embraced his own version of ‘blackness’ that he was able to get his own successful position.
Again there was not much open discussion of race relations in the film but they were present. When the warden suggests they shoot the man taunting him between the eyes it was humorous but did not really sound like he was joking. Dewey’s own condemnation of his brother for his criminal behavior almost extended to a criticism of the entire race. There was definitely tension between Petey and Dewey towards the beginning which sparked the whole protest. Petey expected solidarity from a black man and was insulted that Dewey would ‘stand up for the man’.
Overall I think the race relations were handled well. There was not a strong focus on it but at the end of the day it was a movie about Petey Green. A more direct treatment would have detracted from the narrative.
Nyssa Shawstad
WORKS CITED
Back, Les. “Voices of Hate, Sounds of Hybridity: Black Music and the Complexities of Racism” Black Music Research Journal Vol. 20, No. 2, European Perspectives on Black Music (Autumn, 2000), pp. 127-149